Apparatus for drying and cleaning grain and ventilating buildings



(No Model.)

M. A. SHEPARD. APPARATUS FOR DRYING- AND CLEANING GRAIN AND VENTILATING BUILDINGS.

No. 273,900. Patented Man .1883.

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Jizwvera N. PETERs. Pxwwume n rwr. wmm wl. 0.1;

NiTEn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MORRILL A. SHEPARD, OF LEBANON, ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING AND CLEANING GRAIN AND VENTILATING BUILDINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 273,900, dated March 13, 1883.

Application filed November 23, 1882. (No models) I T 0 all whom at may concern:

Be it known that I, MoRRILL A. SHEPARD, ofLebanon, St. Clair countyylllinois, have invented a certain new and useful Apparatus for Drying and Cleaning Grain and Ventilating Buildings, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My apparatus consists of an air column or sh aft extending vertically from the floor above the roof of a building, or, at the least, having considerable vertical extension, and having appliances, substantially as described, to dry, or to dry and clean, grain during its descent in said shaft.

Figure 1 is a side elevation with part of the elevator-wall broken away. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the-drying apparatus. Fig. 3 isa detail section at 3 3, Fig.2. Fig. 4 is a transverse section at 4. 4, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail section of shutters, showing the same open and Fig. 6 is a similar section, showing the shutter closed. Figs. 7 and S are detail perspective views illustrating the shutter-hinge and operating-arm.- Fig. 9 is a transverse section at 9 9, Fig. 2, showing a top view of one of theinclined steam-chutes.

A is the air-shaft, shown extending above the roof of the building, and provided with a hinged cover, J, opened by a cord or chain, attached to an arm of the cover. Within the shalt are inclined screens or riddles B B, over or through which the grain passes in descending the shaft. There are also inclined steamchutes B having a close chamber, through which steam passes to render the floor of the chute hot for the purpose of heating and drying the grain passing over it. The grain to be treated may be raised by an elevator, H, of ordinary construction, and by said elevator dumped into a chute, I, discharging onto the riddle B. The meshes of this riddle are made so coarse as to allow the grain to run through, thelarger impurities being discharged into a chute or trough, b From the riddle B the grain drops upon the upper one of the steamchutes or driers B from whose lower edge it falls upon the more elevated part of the next drier B down which it flows and falls upon the upper screen, B, being received upon the upper end of the same, and flowing down to the lower edge, where it falls upon the neXt screen B, and so on down the shaft, being at last discharged into the receptacle or chute G. The meshes of the screen are so fine as to retain the grain, butto allow smaller impuritiessuch as dust or small seedst0 pass through. The riddle B, steam drying-chutes B and the screens B have passages to between their inclined sides and the walls of the shaft A, to allow the upward passage of air in the shaft. The air may enter the lower part of the shaft, either from the inside of the building through apertures at E or F, or may be brought into the lower part ofthe sh aft through a passage, G, eX- tending to the outside of the building. All of these airways E F G should be supplied with suitable valves or doors, one of which is shown at E, and may have gauze screens stretched across them, as seen at F. The walls ofthe shaft Ahave apertures D, extending the whole width of the screens B, below the upper end of each screen, and closed by shutters or slats D, hinged at the lower edge and opening inward. so that the upper edge, when thrown in, projects heneath the part of the screen upon which the grain falls from the screen above. The purpose of this is that any impurities passing through the screen, where the grain first strikes it, shall fall upon the shutter or slat D and be carried to the outside ofthc shaft, where they may drop into any suitable receptacle or conductor. These shutters may all be connected to a single operating-cord, k, upon each side, by arms (I, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, so as to be opened and closed simultaneously. The lower edges of the shutters D are grooved, as seen most clearly in Figs. 5 and 6, said grooved edge fitting as a saddle upon the angular edge of the aperture D. The construction is such that when the shutter is open the inner part of the groove fits the inner side of the edge, and the lower edge of the shutter, upon the outside, carries any matters falling upon the shutter clear of the outer wall of the shaft. I prefer to provide my shutters with apeculiarly-constructed hinge which admits of attachment from the outer side of the shaft after the 'shutterD has been inserted in the aperture D. Said hinge has a socket-piece of angular form fitting in a suitable recess in the check of the aperture,

2 I ateneoo said piece having a socket, (1 in one part and a hole in the other part to receive a screw, d by which it is attached to the wall of the shaft another function besides that of allowing the escape of smaller impurities, as aforesaid, for they allow the entrance'of air into the shaft and enable the apparatus to beused as a very efficient ventilator, either when it is in use as a grain drier and cleaner, or when it is not in use for this purpose, for by means of these apertures the air may he taken from all the rooms through which the shaft passes and carried out through the top of the shaft. Thus explosive dust may be removed from mills or other buildings. The riddle B, screens B, and steam-chutes have upwardly-extending sides I), toretain the grain passing over them from dropping into the spaces a. The steam used for the steam-driers may be obtained from the exhaustpipe of a steam -"engine. I prefer it shall enter the lower pan or drier through a pipe, I), at one corner, and pass into one corner of the other pan or steam-chamber through a pipe at the diagonally-opposite corner, so that it travels diagonally through the steam-chamber. 1t passes in like manner diagonally through the steam-chamber of the drier above. I have shown but two of these driers B but do not confine myself to any special number. There may be one or more.

The apparatus may be used without the steam driers, because in a high shaft, like that contemplated, there would be an upward current of air which would be very marked in cool Weather when the'building is heated but the efficiency of the apparatus, even asaventilator, is much increased by the steam-heaters B as they beat the air within the shaft and cause an increased upward movement of the same.

It will be understood that I contemplate in most cases carrying the shaft A above the root of the building, in manner of a chimney, so as to increase the draft and to give a long descent to the grain.

I claim- 1. The combination, with a shaft, A, extending upwardly, and"provided with inductionopenings below and eduction-openings above, substantially as described, of'one or more inclined steam-tables, B in the upper portion of said shaft, and inclined screens B in the shaft below, with side apertures, a, for the ascentof air between the steam-tables B and the walls of the shaft A, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combimttiomin elevated shaftA,having apertures D, with doors D at the sides thereof, of steam-heaters B in its upper part, with apertures a beside the same, and the screens 13 beneath heaters B for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with shaft A, of the screens 13, apertures D, and shutters D, opening inward, and constructed to conduct the material passing through the screen through the 

